St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook
Location	Sparkbrook, Birmingham, England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Architect(s)	W. H. Bidlake
Years built	October 1899 – 1901
Specifications
Height	36.6 metres (120 ft)
Administration
Parish	St. Agatha, Sparkbrook and St. Barnabas, Balsall Heath
Deanery	Central Birmingham
Archdeaconry	Birmingham
Diocese	Birmingham
Province	Canterbury

The Church of St Agatha is a special church in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, England. It belongs to the Church of England.

Building a Special Church

This beautiful church was designed by an architect named W. H. Bidlake. It's so important that it's now a Grade I listed building. This means it's a very old and special building that needs to be protected.

The church is made of brick and decorated with stone. Building started in October 1899. The money to build it came from selling the land where another church, Christ Church, used to stand on New Street. That old church was taken down to make space for new shops and offices. The land where Christ Church once stood later became Victoria Square in Birmingham.

St Agatha's Church was officially opened in 1901 by the Bishop of Worcester, Charles Gore. At that time, Birmingham was part of the Worcester church area. In 1905, Birmingham got its own church area, and Charles Gore became its first Bishop. St Agatha's got its own local area, called a parish, in 1902. Some parts of the church, like the font (a basin for baptisms) and its only bell, came from the old Christ Church. Even its foundation stone, which shows it was built in 1805, came from there!

A Church with a Story

St Agatha's has been through a lot! In 1940, during World War II, a German bomb hit the church and completely destroyed the back part where the altar is. Later, in 1957, a fire damaged the church again, and the entire roof was lost. For many years, from 1940 to 1960, parts of the church were blocked off. This made the inside feel much darker than it does today.

The church was also slightly damaged by a big windstorm, the Birmingham Tornado, on July 28, 2005. Luckily, the church wasn't too badly hurt, but the school next door, Ladypool Primary School, was badly damaged.

From 2002 to 2005, the church had a big makeover. Most of the money for this came from the National Heritage Lottery Board. This work helped make the church strong again, especially its tower. The restored church was officially reopened in January 2005 by Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex.

Leaders of St Agatha's

Here are some of the priests who have led St Agatha's Church over the years:

St Agatha's Today

From the very beginning, St Agatha's has been a part of the Anglo-Catholic movement. This is a special tradition within the Church of England. Even though the church is in Birmingham, it gets guidance from the Bishop of Oswestry, currently Paul Thomas. St Agatha's is also part of a group called Forward in Faith.

Many years ago, there were many similar churches around inner-city Birmingham. People sometimes called this area the 'Biretta Belt'. Many of those churches have now closed. However, St Agatha's is still open, even though it's in an area of the city where most people are Muslim. The priest who leads St Agatha's also helps lead St Barnabas' Church, Balsall Heath.

Music at the Church

St Agatha's is well-known for its music. It has a special organ that was recently fixed. The church also has unique services and a diverse group of people who attend. It's famous not just in its local area but also beyond Birmingham.

Special Events

Important church leaders have visited St Agatha's for special services. For example, the Archbishop of York, David Hope, led a special service in May 2001 to celebrate the church's 100th birthday.

Community Facilities

The church also has a hall that is used by the Birmingham City Amateur Boxing Club. This club was first started by Frank O'Sullivan and was originally called Ladywood Amateur Boxing Club.